Soft Kitty, Warm Kitty
by SkyGem
Summary: When Ladybug and Chat Noir finally defeat and unmask Hawk Moth, there are repercussions neither of them could ever have imagined. Adrien is left reeling from the revelation that his father is the one that has been terrorizing Paris, and it's up to Marinette to comfort and help her partner heal from such a life-changing discovery. Reveal & Post-reveal. Fluff. A little bit of angst.


SkyGem: Fair warning for everyone, this isn't meant to be a big, dramatic reveal, so if that's what you're looking for, you might want to click away. This fic will be focusing mainly on Marinette supporting Adrien after the revelation about his father, and about their relationship post-reveal, and not so much on the reveal itself.

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It was a balmy summer evening in Paris, the cloudless sky painted in the pinks and oranges of sunset - the kind of evening best spent relaxing with a nice book and a cool drink.

Unfortunately for Paris' two most beloved superheroes however, their evening so far had been far from relaxing.

The two of them were currently leaning heavily against each other, sweat running down their faces in rivulets as they stood watching as Gabriel Agreste, the man beneath the mask of their long-time arch-nemesis Hawk Moth, was led away in handcuffs by police officers.

He didn't make any move to resist, head hanging in shame as he obediently climbed into the police cruiser that would be taking him to the station.

Watching him, Ladybug felt her fingers involuntarily tighten around the brooch she held in her hand, anger simmering in her gut as she thought of how he must have tortured the poor little kwami that resided in his miraculous.

As the cruiser drove off, he turned to look at her once through the window, as if sensing her gaze on him, and Ladybug returned his gaze with a disgusted grimace, clutching the brooch protectively to her chest. She would take it to Master Fu whenever she got the chance, but until then, she would do everything in her power to keep it safe.

As the car turned a corner and disappeared, Ladybug turned her attention up to her exhausted partner.

His messy blond hair was plastered to his cheeks and forehead with sweat, and his cheeks were flushed with exhaustion – he looked as if he were about collapse any second now.

Brows furrowing together in concern, Ladybug hooked her fingers through his, tugging him closer so that she could look him properly in the eye.

"Are you alright, kitty?" she asked, reaching up to push his sweat-soaked hair out of his eyes. Normally she wasn't nearly this attentive or touchy with him, but he really did look horrible, worse even than she felt, and she was starting to get worried that he may have injured himself badly in the earlier fight.

"I'm alright, my lady," he assured her with a small, tight smile, tugging his hand out of hers and taking a step back.

This, more than anything, told her there was something deeply wrong with her little alley cat.

"Are you sure?" she asked, "Because if-"

Before she could continue her sentence, she was cut off by an insistent beep from Chat's ring, followed soon after by one from her own earrings.

"Looks like that's our cue," said Chat with a humourless chuckle, already backing away slowly. "I'd love to stay and _chat_ , my lady, but secret identities, and all that."

At Ladybug's concerned frown, his smile became just a little more genuine.

"Really, my lady" he insisted. "I'll survive. Make sure you get home safely, alright?"

And so saying, he turned and bounded off without another look back, no doubt heading to the nearest deserted alley to drop his transformation.

Ladybug watched him go, hesitating for all of one second before taking off after him, worry for her partner still twisting in the pit of her stomach – she just knew that if she didn't do anything now, she'd be worrying about him for days.

As she landed with a quiet thud in the alley Chat had chosen, he spun towards her with a squeak, shoulders hunched up around his ears and spine arched in a gesture reminiscent of a startled cat.

"M-my lady?" he exclaimed, relaxing as he recognized her. "What are you doing here? Your transformation is going to-"

"I'm worried about you," Ladybug said, cutting him off. "You've been acting…off ever since the battle. Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

"I'm fine!" insisted Chat, eyes flickering to her earrings as another of the spots disappeared and then flickering away, the slight tremble of his lips betraying him.

He refused to look at her now, and as Ladybug slowly stepped closer to him, she noticed his fingers trembling slightly, his eyes glassy with unshed tears.

"You don't look okay," she said, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Chat's ring beeped again.

"It's..." he started, before trailing off again. "I-if I tell you what's wrong, you'll know who I am…"

His voice broke into a sob at the end of the sentence, and he clamped his mouth shut again, looking away as he covered his face with one clawed hand.

"I-I know you're not ready for us to reveal our identities to each other," he said, his voice hitching slightly. "I'll be f-f-fine, my Lady. I promise."

Ladybug hesitated, gnawing anxiously on her lower lip.

It was true that she would prefer to keep her civilian identity a secret, but seeing Chat like this, so upset and obviously needing comfort; it hurt her a lot more than she'd expected it to.

They fought together on a daily basis, trusted each other with their very lives – if there was anyone she could trust with her civilian identity, it would be him, right?

Her earring beeped.

She made up her mind.

She stepped forward and took Chat's hands in hers again, and he looked up in surprise.

"I'm okay with us revealing our identities, if it will help make you feel better," she murmured, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

He sucked in a surprised breath.

"My lady…" he whispered, voice barely audible.

She smiled up at him.

"What's wrong, kitty cat?" she asked.

He opened his mouth.

Hesitated a second.

"He…Gabriel Agreste…" he said haltingly, as if he couldn't find the right words. "…He's my father."

There was a beat of silence.

Ladybug's eyes widened, and then a horrified gasp escaped her as her mind processed that bit of information.

"Oh, my goodness, Adrien!" she exclaimed, and he tried to flinch back, hands raised defensively in front of him as his transformation wore off with a flash.

Ignoring the way his eyes lit up with fear for a second, Ladybug surged forward and pulled him into a hug, just as there was a flash of red, and her own transformation wore off.

He stood stiffly for a moment in her embrace, too surprised to react.

Then, a sob suddenly escaped from his throat, and he melted against her, wrapping his arms tightly around Marinette as he sobbed into her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," she crooned, rubbing his back gently.

"I…I…I'm so _stupid_ ," sobbed Adrien, clutching at the fabric of her shirt. "All this time. H-he was living under the same roof as me. An-and I had _no idea_!"

"Oh kitty," sighed Marinette, carding her fingers through his hair. "My sweet little alley cat. You're not stupid at all. No one would want to suspect their own parent of doing something that terrible."

Adrien didn't say anything to that, just sniffed and tried to swallow back his sobs.

So Marinette continued.

"You're the smartest kitty I know," she told him, still rubbing his back comfortingly. "And the sweetest. And you've done so many good things and saved so many people. And everyone at school loves you. And you're Nino's best friend in the whole world. And you never have a mean word for anyone, not even Chloe. And you didn't deserve what happened to you at all. And I promise I'll be here to help you as much as I can, so don't be afraid to ask me for help okay?"

Adrien didn't say anything, unable to get any words past the lump in his throat.

But Marinette felt him nod into the crook of her neck, and she smiled slightly to herself, relieved.

The two teenagers stood there for another few minutes, Marinette humming quietly to herself as she combed her fingers through her friend's hair, and Adrien trying to collect himself.

Even after he had finally gotten his voice back under control though, Adrien didn't let go of his friend.

"My Lady?" he asked quietly, his eyes still closed.

"Hm?" she asked, not stopping what she was doing.

Adrien hesitated for a moment.

"You're not…are you disappointed?"

"Disappointed?" she asked, voice laced with confusion. "Of what?"

"In me," Adrien replied, voice barely above a whisper.

"Why on Earth would I be disappointed in you?" exclaimed Marinette, voice even more confused than before. "You're Adrien Agreste! There's no one else I'd rather you be!"

Adrien felt his face pull into a grimace.

"Because I'm a model?" he asked, moving to pull away from her.

Marinette rolled her eyes.

"No, dumb-dumb! Because you're one of my closest friends!" she replied, pulling back to stick her tongue out at him.

And Adrien's eyes widened comically as he saw, for the first time, who his Lady was.

"M-Marinette!?" he stuttered.

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SkyGem: The end! For now at least. Please do leave a review and let me know what you thought!


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